Battle of Loch Gabhair

The Battle of Loch Gabhair was the decisive battle of Aililla's Irish rebellion against the Norse of Dyflin, fought near Loch Gabhair in what is now County Meath, Ireland. The Irish rebel army was defeated by the Vikings after a short battle, and their remnants were pursued and destroyed after retreating further inland under the command of Carlus.

Background
The Vikings of Scandinavia launched several raids on Ireland and the British Isles after 793, and, as the years went by, the raiders became even more ambitious. In the winter of 840-841, the Vikings overwintered in Ireland for the first time, camping at Lough Neagh. In 853, Amlaib Cuaran founded the Kingdom of Dublin and brought in Norwegian immigrants to settle the region. Soon, the Norse settlers had carved out a culturally-Norse enclave in eastern Ireland, although they became increasingly Gaelicized over the next few decades. In 878, the Gaelic landowner Aililla began a revolt against the foreign Norsemen, hoping to take back the region for the Irish. His army only managed to recruit 255 countrymen, while King Barid mac Imair gathered an army of 570 warriors and marched towards Loch Gabhair to give battle.

Battle
Barid decided to attack the Irish army in detail as it advanced on his larger force. He deployed his axemen to attack the Irish melee infantry, while his spearmen would attack the Irish horsemen and his own retinue would attack Aililla and his cavalry bodyguards. Meanwhile, the Norse javelinmen and archers would attack the Irish rebels from afar. The Norse army divided into their separate units and met the charging Irishmen in battle. The Irish horsemen and some of their infantry fled in an attempt to skirmish rather than battle, but this allowed for the Vikings to close in on the main Irish units and slaughter them from all sides; the Norse javelinmen inflicted heavy losses on the Norse cavalry, showering them with javelins. The Norsemen then pursued the fleeing Irishmen and killed as many of them as possible, killing three-fifths of their number and forcing the rest to flee. The remnants were destroyed deeper into the county, eliminating the internal threat to the kingdom.